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Anyone using the the words "magic bullets" has been brain washed.
Proton Therapy has its good points and bad points. In particular if there is any doubt that the PCa is outside the prostate, PT is about as useless as any other targeted treatment.
Treatment must match the conditions presented by a man. And we are all so different, with respect to PCa.
Still waiting for my mild HBOT chamber to arrive. On ordered since last Nov.
Not brainwashed here. I am a rocket scientist and know the "magic bullet" reference is a term used to help the unaided understand. It was my invention not a reference to some other description, please read my entire postings.
You are correct that if the cancer has metastasized then PT is automatically contraindicated as a wide area and perhaps systemic treatment may be required. Now, to make it really plain...
If you are treating a solid tumor not metastasized, whether in the prostate or elsewhere. The unique capability of Protons to stop at a point in space (currently controlled within 1 millimeter) represents a "magic bullet". That proton does not radiate other parts of the body and does not exit. It travels to the targeted spot (controlled by aiming and initial velocity) and stops right there, delivering its energy to both cancerous and normal cells, similar to X-Ray radiation in effect, except that it is at a point vice a wide area. MD Anderson and other facilities have the capability to do pencil beam scanning which assures that only a defined volume is treated.
It is a law of physics known as the Bragg's Peak. Since it is kinetic and moves like a bullet with the added property of a precise stopping point I, myself, called it a Magic Bullet.
There are a few tumors for which Protons are the only alternative such as in solid tumors of the brain in children (no sane person uses X-ray radiation on a child's' brain when Protons are available) and for tumors of the eye. MD Anderson has begun using Proton Therapy on early stage breast cancers where biopsies show it has not gone to the lymph nodes and the tumor appears as a contiguous contained mass. In such cases the properties of Protons represent Magic Bullets, not literally, but effectively so.
Good luck with your HBOT chamber. Please keep us informed as I know nothing about that.
Please try to understand that these posts are read by a lot of intelligent people, from many different backgrounds. They are looking/hoping for the truth and any posts that get carried away a bit with detailed info which may or may not match what they have read before is going to be torn apart, nit by nit until the truth (or best we can do) is laid out before us.
That said, my profession is ... woups ... was radiation physics. I remember a lot, also have forgotten alot, cus I don't use it any more. Particle physics is not precise. Most of the energy is delivered where you want it, but a surprising amount goes elsewhere...like from the beam transmitter device to the target and even beyond the target. You are talking about probabilities, as to where the energy is deposited. Any cell that happens to be in the path of a photon will be destroyed, whether it is in the target, before the target or after the target. Company Reps selling PT pick a small part of the truth and blow it way out of proportion to sell their product. I've gone around with several men who think that GOD created PT and it is good for everyone ..... period. I can't (don't care ither) change their minds and I've sorta stopped trying (Really Joe, then what is all this gobbly-gook you've written?).
Si Joe, probabilities, we agree! And yes God did develop protons, X-rays, and all that other stuff, assuming you believe in God. I would say he's a singularity.
One thing we do know. The known safe dose of ionizing radiation is 0.00000000000000000000.... so please give me less of it. I'll take the low probability of a tiny Proton's stray energy any day over the known by physics near 100% probability of X-Ray radiation stray energy, most energy goes where it is not wanted.
So, a recovering physicist eh? I like that I hope you have a ponytail while surfing in an exotic place. I keep trying to leave this engineer biz but find there are no jobs for ex-engineers so I keep going back, one more time, each time.
